DUBAI - Amelie Mauresmo advanced to the final of the Dubai Open today when an injured Jelena Jankovic retired after conceding the opening set 6-2.
The second seed from France will next face defending champion Justine Henin, who overcame third seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 1-6 6-4 6-0, boosting her
record against the Russian to 13 wins in 14 meetings.
Mauresmo's match lasted just one set, but was full of incident as play was first interrupted by a cat walking onto court, and then Greek umpire Eva Asderaki became confused with the score at 4-2.
Mauresmo summoned tournament referee Alan Mills to the court before the score was corrected from 30-30 to 40-15 in her favour, and then in the following game Jankovic injured her ankle going for a backhand and collapsed onto the court.
After treatment, the fifth-seeded Serb played five more points, but after dropping her serve she conceded the match.
Henin, who won the tournament in 2003, 2004 and 2006, has never been defeated at the event and now has 15 consecutive wins in Dubai.
The Belgian made a dreadful start, nervously dropping the first seven points and then conceding her serve to give Kuznetsova a 2-0 lead. The Russian seized the advantage, attacked well, and then broke again to lead 5-1 when Henin hit two consecutive double-faults.
Henin played a little more positively in the second set, breaking to lead 3-1. But a forced forehand error allowed Kuznetsova to break back in the seventh game, and Henin's unbeaten record in Dubai looked to be in danger.
In a tense finale to the set, Kuznetsova failed to convert a game point for 5-5, and Henin eventually levelled the match with her fourth set point, hitting a winner off a second serve.
Henin then looked far sharper in the final set, hitting a succession of winners while forcing a tiring Kuznetsova into errors.
"I was a little bit nervous," Henin told reporters. "I knew she had a lot of motivation and I could feel that she was really on the court to give me a hard time.
"She was hitting the ball very hard, and she was in the court and I was too far from my baseline. Then slowly, in the second set, things were changing and that allowed me to come back into the match."
- REUTERS
